Detail of sundial at south facade staircase, Drumlanrig Castle

Description Detail of sundial at south facade staircase, Drumlanrig Castle

Date 26/4/1999

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 764725

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 47021 CN

Scope and Content Detail of Sundial, South Front, Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway This circular lead sundial was made in 1692 by Thomas Wynne of London. It is carried on a sandstone pedestal supported by two putti (small naked children), and stands on the landing of the stairs leading to the garden on the south front. The surrounding wrought-iron balustrade, decorated with roses, thistles, tulips, and bearing the coroneted monogram of the 1st Duke of Queensberry (right), also dates from the 17th century, and was probably made by either William Baine or William Gairdner, two smiths who were employed in 1684 during the construction of the house. Sundials have been used for thousands of years to indicate time, and have been found in many ancient civilisations, including Babylonian, Greek and Roman. They operate on the simple principle of showing the time by the shadow of a pointer cast by the sun onto a graduated disc. Sundials continued to be used long after mechanical clocks came into use, and in the 17th century many fine examples were built. They could be relied upon to keep accurate time and, despite the fact that they depended on the existence of clear skies, served for the setting of clocks and watches when they stopped. Drumlanrig Castle, one of the great Renaissance courtyard houses of Scottish domestic architecture, was built between 1679 and 1690 for William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, incorporating part of a mid-16th-century house and the remains of a late 14th-century Douglas stronghold which originally stood on the site. The architect was almost certainly James Smith who had worked on the construction of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, and the builder was William Lukup who is buried in Durisdeer churchyard nearby. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/764725

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap